A Beginning
by Maaya
Summary: A little ficlet about the four guys as the journey begins.


I don't own Saiyuki or any of its character.  
  
This was earlier a part of a series which is now down. I rather liked the small-talk in this story, though, so I posted it was a oneshot instead.  
  
***  
  
A Beginning  
  
***  
  
They'd been walking towards sky, nearing sun, and later sunset, west, for almost exactly three hours now. Walking, because the terrain made it impossible even for a jeep to drive, and for three hours, well, because it had been three hours since Goku and Sanzo had met up with Hakkai and Gojyo. Now the big, blistering hot orb in the sky was turning more red than yellow, and was resting low against the mountains far ahead. In only a matter of minutes the darkness would be almost complete, only disturbed by the light milky white crescent above.  
  
It had been a year since they had last met - Hakkai and Gojyo had left on a trip to take care of some business, and it had taken longer than expected. Sanzo had as usual been busy with his normal duties as a monk and wherever the blonde Buddhist went, his self-acquire 'pet' Goku followed. Still, once again together, Goku greatly enjoyed the company. How much he ever liked, adored, worshipped, maybe even loved his caretaker, it was nice to meet his friends again. Being with his friends involved arguing, some baby-ing from Hakkai, arguing and, well, a little more arguing. Was it just Goku, or did Sanzo get more stingy when they were all together? He'd have to ponder on that some time in the future. Not now, though, because he was currently involved in a fight with Gojyo concerning . . . whatever it now had been.  
  
"Whadday mean, monkey? I'm not a monkey!"  
  
"Prove it, saruuuuu!"  
  
It was great fun. Like already mentioned, he enjoyed the company of the others.  
  
"Now, Sanzo." Hakkai spoke calmly, a little ahead of the two arguing young men. "I think you should explain the task a little more throughout to me and Gojyo. The information you sent us was lacking some of the more...interesting facts."  
  
"Hm." The monk agreed. He hadn't really had time, nor wanted to give too much information to the youkai and half-breed, just in case they had decided not to come. Whether or not he would ever admit it, the two men were assets to a trip like this. Whatever 'this' would turn out to be. "We're ordered to stop the resurrection of Gyuumaou, restore the youkai to their former selves, and restore Tougenkyou as it was before." The words left his mouth as if he read from a grocery list.  
  
"Ah." Hakkai nodded with thorough-paced understanding. "That was what you told us before. Why not tell us the finer points?"  
  
"...finer points?"  
  
"Like...how long it'll take?"  
  
Oh. That, Sanzo wasn't very sure of himself. But he could somewhat estimate it. "A year maybe or two."  
  
"Oh dear." The taller man quipped with good humor and called back to his red-headed companion, who was still engaging himself in a fight with Goku. "Did you hear that Gojyo? Sanzo said that this trip will take about a year!"  
  
"What!?" A screeching voice answered. "A year? We just returned home, and now we have to leave for another year?" Gojyo abandoned his younger comrade to whine a little to his monocle-wearing friend instead. That left Goku alone to ponder on this trip. He trotted up to walk beside Sanzo as he did. He always thought better if he spoke to someone after all.  
  
"Hey Sanzo...."  
  
A resigned sigh. "What?"  
  
"How will we stop the resurrection of Gyuumaou?"  
  
The blonde shrugged slightly with one shoulder in a casual gesture of saying he wasn't sure. The words "How would I know!?" that left his mouth were ruder, but Goku had long time ago learnt to judge Sanzo more from his body-language than his mouth-language. The body-language maybe lied too sometimes, but there was more truth there than in Sanzo's poisonously dry sarcasm and snappy replies.  
  
"Then how do you know it'll take a year?" He wondered curiously. It was only a logical question after all.  
  
Sanzo snorted lightly through his nose. "Are you also going to complain, monkey?"  
  
"I don't think a year is all that long." Goku defended himself in a pouting tone of his voice.  
  
"Says the one who was imprisoned under a mountain for five-hundred years." Gojyo's voice came from the side, sarcastic. Goku just shrugged. It was true after all. Even though those many, long years in the cave were now blurry memories of time that never had felt like it passed, a year still didn't sound like very much.  
  
"It lies in the eyes of the beholder." Hakkai commented. "Time, I mean."  
  
Sanzo hummed his agreement. The three 'older' members of the gang took a minute to think about how strange it was that their 'baby of the group' was actually the oldest one, and also the one who thought little of time. It was one of the few thoughts the three of them actually shared from time to time. It was a rather scary, almost mind-boggling contemplation they would prefer not to have. It led to more questions about Goku, the monkey who had been chained in a cave for five-hundred years because of a crime he couldn't remember.  
  
From the corner of his eyes, Goku observed his companions grumpily. They were thinking about him, he could tell. But maybe that was okay, he would be thinking of himself too, after all, in that situation. It was hard not to. He chewed on his lower lip. "Hey...Sanzo?"  
  
"What?" Sanzo snapped out of his reprieve and fastened his eyes on the talkative protégé of his.  
  
Said talkative protégé squirmed and thought about how to put his sudden thought into words. "Say...is it really that bad...if this will take a year?" With 'this' he obviously meant the whole journey and their mission. When he saw that he had the attention of all of his friends, he continued, a little more certain. "We don't, after all, have anything else to do. And...life is life, right? Whatever we do, we'll still be alive and do something useful."  
  
Goku wasn't prepared for Sanzo's fan, when it hit him on the top of his head. "Ba~ka."  
  
"What was that for?" He rubbed his head indignantly.  
  
Sanzo put the fan back in his wide sleeve once again, shaking his head. "You're so simple."  
  
"What!?"  
  
"Actually." Hakkai put in cheerfully. "I think that was Sanzo-language for 'you're right', Goku." He ignored the blonde's deadly glare and thought for a while, then hit his open palm with a fist in a resigned gesture. "Oh dear."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I forgot to lock the door at home."  
  
"Hak~kai!"  
  
***  
  
The End  
  
***  
  
If you read, please review. Doesn't matter if you liked it or not, I love constructive criticism as much as I love people telling me they liked the story. Hmm – but at least *I* like this story. It's carefree, and there is so much things that aren't in this world. Or their world. Whatever. ^^;  
  
/Maaya 


End file.
